Alpha’s Last Mistake

The taste of whiskey was still sharp on Dominic's breath when he stumbled through our bedroom door at midnight, his wolf's restlessness evident in the way his eyes flashed amber in the darkness.

"Vivian," he slurred, reaching for me with unsteady hands. "I need you tonight."

I pulled back slightly, concerned by his glazed eyes and the way his canines had partially extended—a sign of his wolf being too close to the surface. "You're drunk, Dominic. Maybe we should—"

"No, I need you," he interrupted, his hands finding my waist roughly, his touch carrying the heat that all shifters possessed. "I've missed you so much, baby."

His kiss was desperate, almost frantic, and for a moment I felt a flicker of hope that maybe our mate bond could return to how it used to be before the distance crept in—before the connection between our wolves had started to fade.

"I love you," he whispered against my neck, his breath hot against my scent gland. "God, Scarlett, I love you so much."

The world stopped spinning.

My blood turned to ice in my veins.

My wolf howled in anguish inside my mind.

"What did you just say?"

His eyes snapped open, the alcohol-induced haze clearing instantly as he saw the horror spreading across my face like spilled wine. His wolf retreated, recognizing the danger.

"Vivian, I... I didn't mean—"

"You called me Scarlett." My voice was barely a whisper, but it cut through the silence like a silver blade.

He stepped back, running his hands through his disheveled hair, and I could see the exact moment he realized there was no taking it back. His wolf was pacing anxiously—I could sense it even through our weakened bond.

"We need to talk."

"Who is Scarlett?" Each word felt like swallowing wolfsbane.

The silence stretched between us like a chasm opening up beneath our seven-year mating bond.

"I want to break the bond," he said finally, the words hitting me like a physical blow. In werewolf society, breaking a mate bond was almost unheard of—a rejection that would leave both our wolves damaged, possibly forever.

"Answer my question first."

"Scarlett is... she's someone I met in Europe two years ago during that pack summit." His voice grew stronger, as if saying her name gave him courage. "The one that saved the company and strengthened our pack alliances."

My legs felt weak, and I gripped the doorframe for support. My wolf was whimpering, curling into herself at the betrayal. "During our anniversary month?"

"The company was failing, Vivian. The pack was losing territory and respect. I was drowning in debt and despair, and she was there when you weren't."

"I wasn't there because I was home taking care of our daughter while you were supposedly saving our future! While I was maintaining the household wards and keeping our den safe!"

"It just happened," he continued, his voice growing more confident now that the truth was spilling out. "One night led to another, and it's been happening ever since. Her wolf... she understands mine in ways yours never could."

Two years. Two entire years of lies, of anniversary dinners where he looked into my eyes and reinforced our mate bond with false promises, of him buying me flowers in front of our pack while texting another woman.

"You've been cheating on me for two years? Betraying our mate bond?"

"I've been living a lie for two years," he corrected, and I could hear something that sounded almost like relief in his voice. "Scarlett is who I really want to be with. She's stronger, her bloodline is purer. Her wolf calls to mine."

I stared at the man I'd bonded with seven years ago, the father of my pup, the person I'd trusted with my heart and my wolf's soul, and realized I was looking at a complete stranger.

"Get out of our bedroom," I whispered.

"Vivian, you have to understand—"

"GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" My wolf surged forward, my eyes flashing with her power, my canines extending in a display of dominance that shocked us both.

As he left, closing the door behind him with a soft click that sounded like the end of everything, I sank onto our marriage bed and wondered how long he'd been planning this moment of truth.

But more importantly, I wondered what other lies he'd been telling me, and how I was going to make him pay for every single one of them.

The real Vivian Crawford was about to emerge—wolf and woman united—and she was going to be nothing like the naive creature who'd just had her world destroyed.

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